Unfavorable polls about Obama are misleading!

[Logical]

If asked in a poll I would also say "unfavorable" because he has been a big disappoint to me.

But I will 100% vote for him because no way we can allow the GOP to run this country.

So I think those polls mean nothing about the general election!

[Hawkowl]

1. Only favorable polls are true!

:sarcasm: Jeebus. What passes for critical thinking around here sometimes. I really miss the classic DU.

[Divine Discontent]

2. yep, they're written up to get the response they want, nearly always

I used to get hounded by a few people on here if I didn't put an "other" choice in my polls. I quickly learned to start doing that! We all know that, probably, 90% of people who voted for Sen Obama to become President Obama will come back, and frankly, Perry is going to be a worse candidate (if it's him they choose) than McCain. The gaffes and smarmy behaviors will be plentiful. I actually believe it will be him, and he'll pick Marco Rubio as his VP nom. That will be the biggest problem for the president's re-election. And, outside of all that, I am certainly a supporter of his, but believe he needs to be told when we think he's going off track - that's what we're supposed to tell him, he said so himself.



http://www.zazzle.com/republicans_2012_keeping_millions_out_of_work_bumper_sticker-128002960205017719

[DemocratSinceBirth]

3. Favorable/Unfavorable Is Different From Approve/Disapprove

But you have to look at other questions like right track/wrong track and are you better off now then you were three years ago.

[Cali_Democrat]

4. I think it all depends on the economy

That will be the main issue that determines whether or not Obama gets reelected.

[karynnj]

5. There is something to what you say, but the percent is not that great

There was a diary on Daily Kos sometime in the last few weeks where they wanted to assess just that. So, in their polling (I think PPP) for one study, they asked the favorable question and then asked a second question that asked likelihood of voting from him - broken into definitely not, definitely and the two leaning categories.

This did bring a low 40s rating up to a high 40s rating. Better, but not good enough. They also pointed out that another time when this should change is when the Republican becomes definitely known.

I was thrilled that they did this, because as a statistician, I hated the certainty which with people argued that if Bush was below 50% on election day he would lose. This bother me because you have RW counterparts - ie Pat Buchanan was incredibly unhappy with Bush - but would he have voted for any Democrat?

[lunatica]

6. A picture is worth a thousand words and these speak for themselves

The polls just never seem to jive with the pictures

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x773358

[tblue]

7. Then let's all stop fretting. No need to worry or change a thing!

It's all good. It's all okay. Carry on and work for 4 more years.

[JohnnyRingo]

8. As is "the message" we're sending to the president.

In the NY congressional election Tuesday many pundits and Ed Koch said we have to send a message to Obama that we aren't happy with him. To many that meant they wanted an end to Bush era tax cuts, deep banking reforms, and the shuttering of Gitmo.

When the Republican won he gave a short speech that scolded Obama for his liberal policies. Rance Preibus added his voice saying the American people are fed up with Obama's failure to lead, presumably in a more conservative fashion.

This is why I get upset when good Democrats here and elsewhere say we have to send Obama the message that we aren't happy with his agenda, and that we have to use that message to push him further to the left. Obama got the "message" Tuesday, but the liberal goal was lost in translation.

[frylock]

9. i think it's quite the opposite..

i'm most unsatisfied with his performance, but if polled i would probably state the opposite so as not to provide a positive for the repubs.

[Enrique]

10. this post does not live up to your user name

i kind of agree with it but I mostly don't, but it's hard to say because it's so confused.

[Hart2008]

11. Unrec for denial and delusion. NT

[Proud Liberal Dem]

12. It's the state-by-state matchups that are most important IMHO

There, President Obama is doing fine where he needs to be. Also, he still has a supermajority+ of Dems, liberal or not, with him. Having good Gallup tracking poll numbers is just icing on the cake. Most responsible Democrats, whether they "approve" of President Obama or not on any given day, will vote him over Perry, Romney, et. al when push comes to shove.

[woolldog]

13. No they're not misleading.

An approval poll is just that. A poll of how many people approve of the job the president is doing. There's nothing misleading about that as it doesn't claim to be anything else.

[frazzled]

14. Well, no polls 14 months before an election are very meaningful

Wake me up a year from now, September 2012, and I'll start looking at polls. In fact, after polls in September 2008, everybody thought McCain would win.

I don't think I can take more than a year of people flashing polls around, showing one-point daily drops or rises. Honestly, there must be more to life than this.

[saras]

15. Polls that ask about "approval" or "liking" always produce bullshit.

That's why the only polls I trust are ones that ask specific questions about specific actions or policies, AND leave room for answers that aren't on a single spectrum, no matter what it is.

Good question: Of <these four policies currently being debated>, rank them from 1-4, according to preference, or zero if you are not familiar with one or don't have an opinion about it.

Bad question: Do you approve of the way <x> is doing <y>.